


The Training of Agent Sammie Gibbs

by 520KB



Category: NCIS
Genre: Gen
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-05-22
Updated: 2020-05-22
Packaged: 2021-03-03 00:07:22
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 16,106
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24315532
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/520KB/pseuds/520KB
Summary: Sammie Gibbs adjusts to life at NCIS. It isn’t as easy as she thought it would be. But with her father and her husband Tony at her side, she finds her way.
Kudos: 8





	The Training of Agent Sammie Gibbs

The Training of Agent Sammie Gibbs

Sammie Gibbs-DiNozzo looked at her watch and tried to stretch the crick out of her neck. She sighed. 9:00 and she still had at least another hour of paperwork to go. Tony came around the corner, having taken the elevator one floor down from his office to visit his wife.

"You almost ready?" he looked at her with concern in his eyes.

She tried to smile, "Not yet. Just head on home without me, baby. I'll catch up to you later."

He sighed. "Sam," he began.

"I'm handling it, Tony." She lifted her chin and he knew that meant she was aiming to be stubborn about it.

"I know you can take care of yourself, Sam. But I have a feeling that what you're dealing with goes way past a little probie hazing. Why won't you let me help you?" he ran his hand through his hair in frustration.

She rose from her desk and put her arms around his neck. "I love you for wanting to help me. And I love my Dad for the same thing. But you both know that if I have either of you fighting my battles at NCIS for me, I'll never be taken seriously as an agent. I'm going to have to work a little harder to prove myself because of my last names. I'm ok with that. I'll be fine, Tony. Trust me, it'll be better this way in the long run."

The muscles in Tony's jaw clenched. Just because Sammie was right, didn't mean he had to like it. "Ok, Baby. I'll see you at home. Just don't work too hard. Love you."

Sammie smiled at his retreating form. Tony had been protecting her for years. She shouldn't be surprised he still wanted to now. Tony had come into her life when she was 15. He often appeared on his boss's doorstep, and soon he filled a sort of big brother role in Sam's life. The two were practically best friends, despite the fact that Tony was eight years older than Sam. It was during Sam's freshman year of college that she realized her feelings for Tony were not familial in any way, shape, or form. She called him up and asked him to take her out for a fancy dinner. It wasn't unusual for him to treat her so he had no idea what was coming. Sam dressed in her sexiest little black dress. It was time for Tony to stop thinking of her as a little girl. She flirted with him until his eyes popped out of his head. Once he got over the shock, it didn't take him long to realize that little Sammie Gibbs was all grown up.

Married just a year, Sam and Tony were still very much newlyweds. Sammie couldn't believe her good fortune when Vance offered her a job as an NCIS field agent. Regulations wouldn't allow her to work on the same team as her father and husband, but to be in the same building was a dream come true.

Her first day felt surreal as she walked in and sat at her desk for the first time. Cap, short for Aaron Caplan, was her team leader and Boss. He was in his 40's, older than Tony but younger than her Dad. Gibbs spoke highly of Cap and had enjoyed working with him on cases. He told Sam she was lucky to be working under Cap. If her father approved of Cap, Sammie knew he was a good guy. Sammie immediately took to him. His eyes twinkled as he shook her hand. "Aaron Caplan. Call me Cap." Sam liked her boss, and he seemed to like her.

He introduced her to Hudson, the Senior Field Agent. Hudson was Tony's age, and seemed very serious. He was neither overly friendly nor rude. He just didn't seem concerned with Sammie's presence either way.

Neilson sat across from Sam. He was young like her, and a computer whiz. He was extremely quiet, but he smiled shyly at her from his desk.

Sam's dream come true came crashing down about one week into the job. Cap left her alone with Hudson. That's when she realized that Hudson was determined to make life hard for her. He made it clear, in no uncertain terms, that his position as Senior Field Agent also made him her boss. Sammie knew that the position afforded a certain amount of authority, but Tony had never chosen to lord it over his team. Hudson didn't operate the same way, apparently.

For the last few months, Hudson had given her every menial and demeaning task he could think of. From searching through dumpsters a block from the crime scene, "just in case," to carrying his crime scene equipment, Sam did it all. Cap just shook his head, knowing a certain amount of hazing was normal. Even her father had smirked a bit. "All probies pay the price," he had said. Sam felt better as her father regaled her with tales of his probie schlepping days.

But Sam knew Hudson was taking it a step further. Every night after Cap left, he threw his paperwork on Sam's desk as he walked out the door. Sam was putting in hours of extra work every night. The next morning, Hudson would turn in her reports as if they were his own. Sam wasn't quite sure how to handle the situation. She had a sneaking suspicion that Hudson resented her ties with NCIS. If she could just prove that she was willing to work hard, perhaps he would ease up.

Cap had caught her doing late night work a few times, but seemed under the impression that she was suffering from a learning curve. It couldn't have been further from the truth. Sam was quick and knew exactly what to do. What she couldn't tell Cap was that she was doing the work of two people.

Her father and Tony questioned her extensively, but Sammie's lips remained sealed and she threatened both men if they got involved. She was very clear that she wanted to handle this herself. Gibbs and Tony were both losing patience from the sidelines, but they were trying their best to honor Sam's wishes.

Sam finished up her work and shut her computer down with a smile. Besides Hudson, things were going well. She had graduated top of her class at FLETC and Cap was already praising her contributions to Vance. He didn't usually take agents with no experience, but he told Vance he was right to push Sam as an agent. She had raw talent and the Gibbs' gut on her side. Sam squared her shoulders and headed home to the man she loved. Hudson could throw her his best shot. She wasn't going to let him ruin this for her. She was an NCIS agent. Surely she could handle one stubborn man.

The next morning, Sam found herself walking in next to Director Vance. "Morning, sir," she smiled. "Sam," he nodded at her. She had agreed when hired that she wanted to go by Sam around the office. Having two Gibbs could get confusing and Vance said the world could only handle one DiNozzo.

"How's Kayla? I haven't talked to her in a while." Sam asked after her childhood friend.

Vance smiled, "She's good. Making me proud. Got accepted to law school."

Sammy spontaneously hugged the man who was like a second father to her, "Oh my gosh! I hadn't heard! I have to call and congratulate her. That's amazing."

Vance chuckled and patted Sammie on the back. "You should call her. She would love share her news. I've never seen her so excited."

Unfortunately, Hudson chose that moment to walk around the corner. Vance couldn't see him, but Sam didn't miss the way he rolled his eyes. Sam pulled away and wished Vance a good day. She realized this little encounter probably didn't help Hudson's opinion that she only got her job because of her last name, and determined to be more careful in the future.

One floor up, Gibbs was putting together an undercover op. "You know who we need, Boss," McGee said.

"It's too dangerous," Tony answered.

"I agree. And she doesn't have the experience," Gibbs chimed in.

Ziva smiled, "Since when do you hold agents back because an op could be dangerous, Gibbs?" Gibbs glared at her but she did not back down.

"Sam can take care of herself," McGee was determined. "She's the best chance we've got. Besides, she and Tony fit the description of the couple perfectly. And it doesn't really require a lot of experience. It's a simple bait and switch. The club will be loaded with agents."

Gibbs sighed. They were running out of time. "Vance won't approve it. It's close enough to the line that Tony and I work together. Husband and wife on the same op? Not likely."

Vance rounded the corner at that moment, "You put a team together yet, Gibbs?"

He sighed, "Tony fits the description of the man to a T. Trying to find a female agent who qualifies. This couple has been seen all around the city. We need a tall, leggy blonde."

Vance hid a smile, "I know one that comes to mind." Gibbs stared at him.

"It won't be routine, but I'll allow it because of the time crunch. Call Sammie up and get her briefed. We have to move," Vance ordered. Gibbs nodded at Tony and Tony went to get Sam. Gibbs called Cap at the same time. This op would take both teams.

They gathered in the basement of NCIS, as McGee mapped out the dance club Tony and Sam would be infiltrating.

Cap instructed his team, "Gibbs is leading this op so you all answer directly to him. No middle man. Gibbs, let us know where you need us."

Gibbs nodded. He appreciated a man who could follow as well as lead. The last thing he needed was a pissing contest over who was in charge. "Thanks, Cap. We are following a husband-wife con artist team. But they aren't who we want. They've crossed the wrong man, head of one of the biggest crime families in the DC area. Markson. They appear at high end clubs all over DC. Apparently ,they're pretty flamboyant in their behavior. She dresses provocatively and loves to dance with her husband. When all eyes are on them, they know they can reel in an unsuspecting mark. After crossing the wrong guy, we have intel they've gone dark. But Markson doesn't know that. Tony, Sam, you're going to head to The Clairmont tonight and see if you can lure Markson there."

Sam practically bounced on her toes, she was so excited. She had only been at NCIS a few months and was already being given her first undercover op. That almost never happened. She knew that her looks were the reason she qualified, but that didn't matter. She was getting the job!

"Sam, we've gotta find you a dress like…this," Gibbs' face flashed in disgust as he put a picture up of the woman Sam would be impersonating. The dress was impossibly short and tight. It left nothing to the imagination. "Tony, you probably already have a suit that will work. Here's a picture of your guy." Tony nodded. He wouldn't have as much work to do as Sam, who would need heavy makeup and lots of hair styling.

Gibbs told everyone their jobs, then he pulled Sam aside. He stared at her a moment, as if sizing her up. "Sam, I'm about to talk to you as your boss, not your father, got that?"

She nodded, "Got it, Gibbs."

He smirked for a minute but then he got serious again. "This is your first op and you're excited, I know. I also know what it's like to be a probie and want to prove yourself. This isn't the time for that, Sam. You get in, you do your job, you follow Tony's lead, and you keep your head down, got it?"

She was serious too, "I hear you. It's not a game. I know that."

Gibbs took a deep breath, as if he was glad she agreed. "Remember Sam, out there, Tony is absolutely your boss. As my second in command, he is me when I'm not there. I'll be in your ear and on Tony's glasses, but Tony is there. DiNozzo is the boss. Is that clear?"

"Crystal," she echoed what she'd heard Tony say so many times over the years.

Gibbs stared at her a moment more.

"What?" she said nervously.

"I'm just deciding if I need to pre-head slap you for anything now," he sighed.

Now she did roll her eyes, "Dad! I'll take it seriously. I promise."

He nodded, satisfied. "Ok. Now go let Abby and Ziver help you get dressed like a hooker." Then he shook his head, "There's something I never thought I'd say to my daughter."

She laughed and ran off, eager to get started on her transformation. Gibbs swung his gaze to Tony. "Can you do this? Can you treat Sam like any other partner and stay focused on the op?"

Tony sighed. "Yeah Boss. I can do it. Her safety depends on it. I'll keep my head in the right space."

Gibbs tapped him on the side of the face, "Make sure of it, Tony."

A few hours later, they were ready to move. Sam walked into the garage wearing her outfit for the night, Ziva and Abby behind her. The rest of the male agents stopped what they were doing and tried not to stare. Sam was good-looking on a normal day. But that dress was like a second skin. Her spray tan, heavy make-up and long waves took her to a next level. Cap cleared his throat and slapped Hudson on the back of the head. Then he saw Neilson's eyes bulging and he gave him a hard push towards the van.

McGee was the first to find his voice, "Wow, Sam. You look…."

DiNozzo sidled up to McGee and whispered in his ear, "Choose your words very carefully, Probie." McGee's face got a deeper shade of red when he looked to Gibbs and saw Gibbs squinting at him.

"Come on, guys. You have to admit that our little Sammie looks hot!" Abbie said.

"Abbs," Gibbs warned.

"What, Gibbs? Even you have to admit that Sam is a knockout tonight," Abby pushed Gibbs in a way that only she could.

Gibbs sighed, "Ya look good, Sam. Now can we get on with this?"

Sam and Tony were fitted with ear wigs and cameras. The plan was simple. Go to the club. Dance and make sure everyone was watching. Be confident. Wait for Markson's man to approach. Meet up with Markson's man. Gibbs and the team would be listening and when Markson finally appeared, Gibbs would give the order for the surrounding agents to storm the room.

Sam took a deep breath. A lot of this depended on her acting abilities. "Tony," she whispered. "I'm not sure I know how do dance well enough to pull this off."

He smiled at her, "Sure you do, Sam. Just pretend you're at a college party and shake it. You've got this."

She leaned her head on his shoulder. "I love that you always believe in me."

Sam and Tony walked into the club looking like they didn't have a care in the world. Sam hung on Tony's arm just like they'd seen the original couple act in the surveillance videos. Around the club they made a mental note of Hudson, Neilson, and Ziva holding positions at the bar and in various booths. Gibbs had eyes through Tony's glasses and Sam's necklace. They could all hear each other in their ears.

Tony bought Sam a drink, and she pretended to take a sip. Even before they started dancing, eyes were on them. They made a striking couple with Tony in his sleek suit and Sam in her little black dress.

"No sign of our mark, DiNozzo. Hit the dance floor," Gibbs said in their ear.

"Wanna dance, darling?" Tony smoothly asked Sam. She was impressed at how he could hold two conversations at once so easily.

She flashed him her most winning smile and held her hand out. Tony led her onto the floor. To the casual observer, he was just enjoying his evening. But Sam could feel the tautness of his muscles and sense the way that his eyes missed nothing.

"Just relax and put on a show, Sam," he said quietly, as if he were whispering sweet nothings in her ear. "I have eyes out and so does everyone else. Your job is just to be a wife out for a fun evening."

She winked at him, "Anything you say, baby." And for a moment, Sam let herself forget that she was a federal agent and pretended she was a college girl at the club. The music started and she danced around Tony as if she were flirting for all she was worth. She slid down him seductively and then turned and began to grind her back into him. She bent over and popped back up, her hair flying behind her. She knew she was turning Tony on by the appreciative look in his eye, and she had to admit that she was enjoying herself.

In the van, watching the show through Tony's glasses as well as Hudson's, Cap let out a low whistle. "We told Sam not to hold back and she certainly isn't."

Gibbs shifted uncomfortably in his seat and cleared his throat. "This is just every father's dream, Cap. Watching his little girl do….that."

Cap laughed and said, "Laura is only 11 but I don't think I'll be ready to see her dressed like that OR dancing like that anytime soon."

Gibbs cursed slightly under his breath. "I'd tell her to tone it down but I don't want her to break character. How Tony is even staying focused right now is beyond me."

About that time there was a break in music and a man nodded slightly at Tony from across the room.

"Darling, why don't we go take a break," Tony said to Sam.

"We've got him, DiNozzo," Gibbs said in his ear. "Go meet him and when Markson appears we'll be there."

Tony nodded at the man who immediately motioned them to a side room. The man held a curtain back and Tony and Sam followed him. What they didn't expect was that they would be led them down a labyrinth of hallways that would end in a concrete room. Tony had a sinking feeling their team had just lost the feed, and he was right.

In the van, Gibbs, Cap and McGee were scrambling to restore the feed. "Come on, McGee!" Gibbs yelled.

"I'm trying, boss, but they went dark. Something is blocking all signals. I can't bypass it. We have to go in," McGee typed furiously as he spoke.

Gibbs ordered McGee to stay put and keep working while he and Cap headed into the building.

Inside the concrete room, Sam and Tony found themselves held at gunpoint. Faster than Tony could blink, a man had Sam in his arm with a gun to her head.

"Do what I say and princess doesn't get hurt," he growled.

Tony did his best to communicate with Sam with his eyes. He knew her instinct would be to fight the man, but with a full team of agents looking for them, this wasn't the time for heroics. Sam nodded ever so slightly and Tony knew she understood.

The man ordered Tony to cuff himself to a pole. As soon as Tony was handled, he did the same to Sam across the room. After he had her cuffed, he took a moment to pat the side of her face. "Aint you a looker?" he commented. Sammie jerked her face away and he laughed. "Shame what's about to happen to you." Then he sat down and began to talk.

"I don't know who you are, but my boss is pissed. I'm sorry to say, this is probably your last night alive. He'll be here in a minute. You two messed with the wrong guy."

Outside, McGee found the video. He was in Gibb's ear, trying to tell them the situation while he and Cap made their way through the maze of hallways. Cap shook his head, "We never should've let a probie do this, Gibbs. She's not trained for high octane situations yet."

Gibbs sighed, "Too late now, Cap. We just need to hurry."

"We bust in there, he's gonna shoot one of them," Cap said.

Gibbs nodded, "Now that we've got video, we'll wait. McGee can tell us when the moment is right."

Inside the room, Sam was feeling desperate. Where was everyone? The man holding gun was alone with them, the other having gone outside to wait for Markson. Sam's hands were firmly cuffed around the pole. There wasn't a whole lot she could do. Just then, their captor turned to face Tony, but he was standing within Sam's range. She took a chance and slid her heels off. Then she swept her foot under the man, knocking him down. When he fell, she didn't leave anything to chance, kicking the man in the face and side as hard as she could to ensure that he was knocked out. No way was she going to watch her husband get shot.

Across the room, Tony was grinning from ear to ear. "Nicely done, darling," he quipped. "Now we just gotta hope the team finds us before the other guys do."

While Hudson's team went after Markson, Cap and Gibbs burst into the room. Gibbs let out a breath he didn't know he'd been holding when he saw his kids were ok. Cap started laughing when he saw Sam standing over the unconscious man.

"I take it back, Gibbs," he chuckled. "Maybe she was ready."

Gibbs shook his head and went over to put his hands on Sammie's face. "You ok?" he asked seriously.

She nodded her head. "I'm fine. I had a blast."

Only then did Gibbs let himself smile. "Ya did good, Sam. Real good. Proud of you."

Tony cleared his throat, "As proud of my wife as I am, I would just love it if someone could find the time to get me out of these handcuffs."

Gibbs rolled his eyes good-naturedly and said, "Keep your shirt on, DiNozzo. We're getting to you."

Hudson radioed in that he had Markson, and Gibbs and Cap left to go check the feed again for anything they may have missed. Sam and Tony were photographing the scene and keeping an eye on the hand-cuffed and unconscious gunman.

When they were alone, Sam sauntered towards Tony, camera dangling from her hand. "You know," she teased, "I really enjoyed myself out there on the dance floor."

Tony smiled flirtatiously, "Well now, I seemed to have noticed that."

"Kinda got me…a little hot," she trailed her finger down his shirt.

"Uh, Sam," Tony tried to break in.

"What do you say we wrap this up and then go home and finish what we started?" she breathed into his ear as she said the words.

"Sam," Tony said more firmly. "Everyone can hear and see you. Did you forget?"

Sammie gasped. "Oh no! They're still listening?"  
"Loud. And. Clear." Gibbs came over the ear wig.

"Oh gosh. My dad just heard that," she moaned.

"And your boss," Cap said drily.

"Let me just say, Tony is a lucky guy," McGee added in to which the whole team started laughing while Sammie's face turned the deepest red Tony had ever seen. The rest of the team couldn't help but agree with McGee, though. Tony was a pretty lucky guy.

As the team loaded up the van to head back to headquarters, they replayed the footage of Sam's take down. It was incredible.

"Your hard work has paid off," Ziva said to her.

"Yeah, you're Ziva's mini-ninja," Tony nudged her.

"I'm proud of you, Sam, for handling the such a high-octane situation so well," Cap patted her on the arm. "Couldn't have done better myself."

The only damper on the whole night was when Sam stepped out of the van and Hudson mumbled in her ear, "Of course, little Sammie Gibbs is the star. Why wouldn't she be? Everything else gets handed to her on a silver platter."

He walked away before anyone else could guess what he had said, but his words stung just the same. Would Sam every be able to prove to him that she belonged at NCIS?

Sam shrugged and turned to Tony. "Ready to head home?"

Tony nodded and rubbed his eyes wearily. "More than ready. Ok to hit the paperwork tomorrow, Boss?"

Gibbs nodded, "That's fine. Get some rest. Besides, I'm sure you're more than ready to get home and finish what you started." He couldn't resist poking fun at Sam's faux pau one more time.

"Daddy!" she whispered as her face turned an impossible shade of red.

She could only hold her head high and try to walk away with dignity as the whole team chuckled and catcalled while the DiNozzos left the building.

That night Tony held Sam when they finally crawled into bed. They'd enjoyed a hot bath together and then Tony had massaged Sam's sore muscles. He held her and rubbed her head, thinking how lucky they were. Tonight went off-plan, and it could've gone much differently.

"Were you scared tonight, Sam?" he asked.

"Mmm?" she questioned, having been lulled to sleep by his hands.

"Never mind, go on to sleep," he whispered.

She stirred, "No, it's ok. I'm awake. I was, a little. But not for myself. For you."

She felt his muscles tense under her as he said, "It was the same for me. I kept imagining the worst possible scenario and…I don't think I'd recover, Sam."

She sighed, "It's a dangerous job, Tony. We both know that."

"I know, baby. But, it's different watching it happen. I thought that working together would be a dream come true. And at first, it was. When you were dancing, I thought I'd never had more fun at work. I mean, believe me when I say, I was having fun. By the way, we need to go dancing some more if that's the kind of treat it will be because, I have to say…"

She punched him lightly and said, "Tony. Your point?"

He sighed again. A long sigh, as if it held all the regrets of what might have been. "It was fun. But when it became dangerous, I wasn't at top of my game, Sam. My only focus was keeping you safe. I mean, I want to protect any agent. You know I'd take a bullet for anyone on my team. But this was different, Sam. Just watching that man manhandle you and cuff you. Watching him stroke your cheek. It was like a blind rage. I wasn't in control."

Sam looked up at him. "You didn't show it."

"No," he shook his head, "I couldn't. It would've given him leverage, for him to see how upset I was. But, Sam, I don't think I can do that again."

She kissed him, "I know. I agree. It puts us at risk."

Tony laughed, "All these years and who knew? Your dad was right. Romance between agents isn't a good idea. I thought he was just living up to his second B."

Sam giggled. "He's gonna love it when you tell him he was right."  
Tony rolled his eyes, "There's nothing he likes more than hearing that."

They fell asleep in each other's arms, thankful that tonight at least, everyone was healthy and whole.

Gibbs wasn't surprised when Tony came down his stairs the next evening. He nodded Tony's direction.

"Sam says dinner will be ready in 30. You coming over?" Tony asked.

Gibbs put his sanding aside. "Sure. I'll wash up."

Tony didn't move. "You've been off all day, Tony. What's up?" Gibbs asked.

"Last night was…I can't get it out of my head. Seeing Sam locked up. I just…" Tony laughed at himself and shook his head.

Gibbs smirked. "It was no picnic for me, either, DiNozzo."

Tony nodded, "I know, Boss. All this time you told us no romance between agents I just thought…"

Gibbs chuckled. "That I was living up to my second B?"

"Took the words right out of my mouth, Boss," Tony teased. "But you were right. I came to formally ask that Sam and I not be put on an op together anymore. Much as I would love it, I think it makes us both more vulnerable."

Gibbs nodded, "I know, Tony. I'll do my best not to let it happen again. I've been in your place. I was involved with one of my agents and let's just say, we were lucky we didn't both end up full of bullet holes." He shook his head and smiled, his mind far away. "Had a lot of fun," his mouth quirked, "But we weren't smart. You figured it out in a lot less time than it took me."

"So you don't just make your rules to be a-" Tony started.

"Watch it, DiNozzo," Gibbs ground out. "No. I just don't want you kids to make the same mistakes that I did. Believe it or not, I care," he wiggled his eyebrows to show that he was uncomfortable with the emotion.

"I know you do, Boss. And thanks. I know you'll have my six if Vance tries that again," Tony nodded.

"He won't. He knew it wasn't optimal but we were in a tight spot. He watched the video though, and he was impressed with both of you. You're prime for promotion, Tony."

"I'm happy where I'm at, Boss. But it's nice to know you appreciate my immense value," Tony teased.

Gibbs clapped him on the back, "Come on. Let's go see what's for dinner."

The next week, Sam handed in her reports and said, "I think I'm all caught up, Cap, what now?"

"Actually, word came from HR that we all need to attend a few seminars. Can you coordinate schedules and get us on the list for those?" Cap said.

Sam curled her lip, "Can't we just be sick those days?"

Cap laughed, "Nice try. Might work for your dad but definitely doesn't work for a probie and it's never worked for me. Besides, a few of these could be interesting. Check it out and get back to me with dates that work for the whole team."

Sam took the paperwork as Cap's kids came around the corner. "Hey daddy!" came two little voices as his kids ran up and hugged him.

"Hey guys!" he hugged the pair. Then he turned to the team, "You guys have met Hudson and Neilson. This is Sam." Sam waved at them and then Cap continued, "My wife is out of town and the sitter could only keep them till 3, so they're gonna spend a couple hours here and then we'll get pizza. Sam, this is Laura, she's 11 and Tommy, he's 9."

"Nice to meet you guys," Sam smiled. "I used to love coming to NCIS with my Dad when I was little."

"Really?" Laura cocked her eyebrow like she couldn't quite believe her.

"Sure," Sam said. "There's lots of fun to be had around here."

Cap shook his head, "I don't know about that, guys. Sam also has a way of finding herself in trouble more than the average person."

Sam pretended to gasp. "Now Cap, that's just not fair. Whatever do you mean?"

Cap rolled his eyes. "You're the first probie to ever get stuck in a dumpster and have to be pulled out by your team. You got locked in a storage room. Your first op went haywire and you ended up with a gun to your head handcuffed to a pole. Need I go on?"

Sam shrugged adorably, "But Boss, none of those things were exactly my fault."

Cap laughed, "Oh, I didn't say you caused the trouble, Sam. Just that trouble has a way of finding you."

Just then Gibbs appeared, "Cap. Vance needs us in MTAC right away. It's urgent."

Cap sighed. Of all the days for him to get called away. He so wanted his children to enjoy today and to see what he did. "Okay, hang tight guys. You can sit at my desk and color. I'll be back as fast as I can."

Sam winked, "We've got em, Cap."

"Thanks, Sam," he said and ran to catch up with Gibbs.

When Cap hadn't returned in 30 minutes and the men hadn't made a move to engage with the kids, Sam stood up from her desk. "Hey guys, wanna go see the lab?"

Laura looked up from her doodles, "Yeah? Ok, sure."  
The kids followed Sammie down to Abby's lab and their eyes widened at the rock music and the tattoed Goth. "Hi Sam!" Abby bounced over with her usual enthusiasm. "Who have you got here?"

"This is Laura and Tommy, they're Cap's kids. They got stuck here for the day and I wondered if you could give them the super special Abby tour that you used to give me," Sam winked.

Abby nodded, "Hmmm. I think I have some time for the super special tour."

Abby and Sammy spent the next hour doing experiments and showing the kids all the fun machines in the lab. After all, with Vance, Gibbs and Cap in MTAC, there was nobody to stop them.

When they had their fill of the lab, Sam called Ziva. They took the kids to the NCIS gym and taught them some beginner sparring moves. Laura and Tommy looked at the girls like all their dreams had come true.

Sam was sure that Cap must be looking for them after that, but he was still tied up. She finally ordered a pizza and played a movie on the big screen in their bullpen. Hudson rolled his eyes. Neilson packed it up and went home. The kids and Sam were lying on the floor, scarfing pizza and laughing at the movie when Cap came down looking exhausted.

"Hey guys. I'm sorry tonight didn't work out like we planned. Something major went down up there, and unfortunately, we aren't done," he said, looking at his watch.

"That's ok, Daddy! We've had the best day with Sammie! Abby showed us experiments!" Tommy said.

"And we learned how to fight!" Laura piped in and Cap's eyebrow rose. Sam had the good grace to look ashamed.

"And Sam got us pizza and McGee showed us how to use facial software to make everyone look funny and we've been dying to see this movie forever!" Tommy chimed back in.

Cap chuckled, "So this is how you occupied yourself when you were a kid, Sam?"

"One of the perks of being an NCIS brat," she saluted.

Cap looked guilty, "Look, I know you had paperwork to get done and you've been babysitter for the last several hours, but would you mind…"  
Sam smiled, "Course not, Cap. Why don't you let Tony and I take them home for the night? We'll have a good old-fashioned slumber party and you can pick them up in the morning?"

"Can we Daddy? Please? Sam is SO FUN!" both kids begged him.

Cap looked torn. "Sam, you really don't have to," he began.

"I don't mind," she said. "Tony won't either. Trust me, we wouldn't have made it if people hadn't been around to help my dad out."

Cap sighed in relief. "Thanks, Sam. I owe you. You have no idea how much it means to know the kids were having fun today."

"Kids, come with me for a sec. I want to say good-bye and remind you of some manners." Cap took them aside for a few minutes.

While they were out of earshot Hudson walked over to Sam's desk and said, "I've never seen someone try so hard to suck up to the boss before."

Sam sighed, "It's not about that, Hudson. It's about the kids."

He snorted, "Whatever, Gibbs. You've got your nose so far up leadership's butt around here that you couldn't see daylight if you tried."

Cap came back around the corner just then and Sam tried to paste on a smile. He looked to Hudson curiously but didn't have time to figure out what had happened. The kids were hanging off of Sam and begging to stay up late and pop popcorn.

Sam and Tony decided to make it a special night for the kids. Sam ran to her Dad's house and borrowed some sleeping bags, and she and Tony camped out on the living room floor with the kids. Tony was pleased to introduce the kids to E.T., one of his favorite childhood movies.

"This is so corny!" Tommy said.

"Shut your mouth, child," Tony teased. "This is a classic." Tommy threw popcorn at Tony before agreeing that it was a pretty cool movie after all. They all fell asleep to E.T. and the next thing Sam knew the doorbell was ringing.

Cap smiled when Sam opened the door. Her hair was mussed all around her face and she had no make-up on. That, combined with her oversize sweat shirt and her shorts, made her look like a teenage babysitter instead of a federal agent. He remembered how much younger Sam was than the average agent.

"Hey Cap," she stretched and yawned. "I guess I forgot to set the alarm. Fell asleep during the movie. I'll get the kids. You have time for breakfast?"  
"Aw, you've done enough, Sam. Besides, I don't want to make you late for work," he answered.

She shrugged, "True. My boss is a real tight.."

"Don't finish that sentence," he growled.

Sam laughed, "Let me wake the kids up."

Cap walked into the living room and smiled, "Looks like you guys had fun. You realize the kids are going to be begging to come over to your house all the time now."

"Anytime. Tony and I had a lot of fun. I mean it. And if you ever get in a pinch, I don't mind hanging with them. It's what everyone did for me and NCIS felt like family. Still does," she said.

"I watched you grow up," Cap agreed. "I may take you up on that, Sam. I want my kids to see what I do every now and then. Just hopefully not on a day I'm in MTAC for 12 hours."

Sam hugged the kids good-bye and promised them a repeat experience. "I'll see you in a few, Cap."

She and Tony rushed to get ready and made it to NCIS only a few minutes late. The day passed uneventfully, except that Sam had to stay a little late to finish up paperwork she had missed while playing the day before. Cap was down with Abby when Hudson slapped his reports for the day on Sam's desk. "Have fun, Probie."

Sam sighed, "Hudson, what is it that I've done to you? Is it just my last name? Is it that you don't think I deserve to be here? I'll admit that I got fast-tracked in, but I earned my way through FLETC. I trained. I studied. And I've been willing to do anything you've asked of me. Have I done something specific to make you hate me?"

Hudson gave a sarcastic smirk. "What's the problem, Gibbs? Can't handle it when someone isn't falling all over themselves to worship the ground you walk on? Newsflash, honey. Not everyone belongs to the Sammie Gibbs fan club just because Daddy is #2 around here and you're married to a big shot."

Sam took a deep breath to calm herself. "You know what, Hudson? I'm through trying to prove myself to you. And I'm definitely through pulling double duty on paperwork. You want it done? Do it yourself."

Sam threw it back on his desk as Cap came around the corner, looking angry.

"Sam. Hudson is my second in command and as such, he is boss when I'm not around. He gives an order, you follow it. If he asks you to do paperwork, you do it. Understood?"

Sam's shoulders dropped at the reprimand. "Yes, sir. Sorry Hudson." She moved to take the files back, but Cap held up his hand.

"We'll sort that out tomorrow. Hudson and I are going to talk about authority and abuse of authority. You go on home. There's nothing here that can't wait," he nodded at Sam and dismissed her.

Then he swung to Hudson. "I overheard more than you probably would've liked, Hudson. Now that I hear what's been going on, some things are making sense. Sam's pretty quick. Didn't make sense that she couldn't keep up on her paperwork. She been pulling double duty since she got here?"

Hudson gave a tense nod.

"And the way that Sam always jumps at the chance to team up with me or Neilson, but never volunteers to go with you. That because you're giving her a hard time when you're out?"

Another nod.

"A normal amount of hazing is expected, Hudson. But am I off base to think it's gone beyond that?" Cap asked calmly.

Hudson was thankful that Cap was slow to lose his temper. He almost never yelled. He was good about giving his people a chance to explain themselves.

"I've been hard on her," Hudson admitted. "She doesn't deserve to be here. We all know the little princess is here because of who her Dad is. Better to weed her out now than find out on the field that she can't handle herself."

"She handled herself pretty darn well in the club," Cap defended. A muscle in Hudson's jaw jumped and he nodded. "Has she done anything since joining the team to make you think she's not competent?"

Hudson shook his head. "Not yet."

Cap took a deep breath, "Hudson. I think you may have the wrong impression of who Samantha Gibbs-DiNozzo is. I don't usually do this but…take a look at this file."

He tossed the file on Hudson's desk and said, "Take a look, Hudson. The very beginning."

Hudson flipped through pictures of a ten-year-old Samantha. Cap saw his eyes widen at the terrified little girl with matted hair. Ducky had documented the severe bruising with photos, and Hudson couldn't help but wince when we saw the black fingerprints around the child's arm.

"Was she in an accident? Kidnapped? I always wondered where Gibbs wife went?" Hudson asked.

Cap shook his head sadly, "Gibbs had a wife and daughter a long time ago. They were killed by a drug lord when Gibbs was out of country. He found Sam at a crime scene a decade later. Sam grew up in a severely abusive home. Her father got into some trouble. When he couldn't pay his debts, some men came looking for him. Shot his wife and then killed him. Sam was hiding behind the couch the whole time. Gibbs found her hours later. She'd wet herself because she was too scared to move. She took to Gibbs right off. Wouldn't let him go. He ended up adopting her. Took him years to get her straightened out. Lot of the credit goes to Gibbs, but a lot of the credit goes to Sam, too. She worked hard to catch up and get healthy. This was all before you transferred in, Hudson. But, I guess that's why NCIS feels like family to Sam. We all kind of took her under our wing. It's true that she pretty much lived here as a kid and we all babysat her. But we were invested, Hudson. It was a heartbreaking case, something we'll never forget. I know you have this idea that Sam has had everything handed to her on a silver platter, but that's not the way her life was. Gibbs loves to her as much as a father could love a child, but she didn't get by with anything as a kid. Believe it or not, Hudson, she has worked hard to be where she is today. Sam doesn't expect everyone to be nice to her. She's seen the worst of life. Gibbs said she still has flashbacks sometimes. She has her demons. I'm not saying her difficult past means she gets a free pass around here, either. But maybe you've had the wrong idea about her, Hudson."

Hudson rubbed his brow, and his voice was husky, "Yeah, I-I think I have, Cap. Maybe I judged her too harshly."

Cap raised his brow, "Now that we've established that, let's talk about your position, Hudson. I trust you as my second in command to be me when I'm not here. And you know what kind of team I run. Do I treat you guys unfairly? Do I lord things over you?"

"No, Boss. You're a good guy to work for," Hudson choked out.

"Try to be," Cap said. "So I expect you to be, too. That's the kind of second in command I want to have. I demand that orders be followed on this team. But if I make that kind of demand, you better made good and sure that they're orders that deserve to be followed. Orders that deserve respect. You go abusing your authority and your subordinates stop taking you seriously. Just like Sam did tonight. We can't afford that. She needs to respect you off the field so she can respect you on the field when her life depends on it."

"Got it boss. I've been a jerk. I'll make it right." Hudson said.

"See that you do," Cap said. "I know you're a good guy, Hudson. You just lost your way for a minute."

Hudson cleared his throat. "Thanks, Boss. And thanks for backing me up in front of Sam, even when I didn't deserve it."

"I've got your six, Hudson. We've worked together for a long time. And believe it or not, I don't play favorites. Your longevity means a lot to me."

Hudson was completely humbled. "Thanks, Cap. I'll do better. I'll be better."

Cap nodded and clapped him on the shoulder as he left for the night.

Across town, Sammie was sitting on the stairs of Gibbs' basement, trying not to cry.

"Kinda late, Sam. What's on your mind?" Gibbs set his sanding down. His look quickly turned to concern when he saw Sammie's teary eyes. "What is it, Sam?" he sat down beside her.

She sniffed. "I've messed up, Daddy. I've had a situation. And I thought I could handle it. But tonight I lost my temper and Cap reprimanded me and then sent me home."

Gibbs raised his brows at that. "Start at the beginning, Sam."

"Ok, Daddy, but there's a reason I'm telling you this instead of Tony. Tony is a hothead when it comes to me. I need you to keep this out of the workplace, ok? Promise me Daddy, that you won't interfere."

Gibbs nodded his agreement and the story poured out of Sam. Gibbs tried not to be angry when he heard all that Hudson had put her through, but he had to admit that his first instinct was to go find Hudson and teach him a lesson. And how had Cap been so blind? Then again, he'd seen similar tensions between agents on his team from time to time and he knew it was best if they could work it out on their own.

As Sam finished up, Gibbs relaxed a bit. "Sounds like Cap heard enough to figure out what was going on, Sam. You said he stayed to talk to Hudson?"

She nodded, "Yes. I was so embarrassed that I didn't pay much attention to that part. But he said that they were going to talk about abusing authority."

Gibbs smirked, "Cap is a good guy. And he will back his team no matter what, even if they're wrong. He was backing his second in command, Sam, but it sounds like Hudson was about to get an earful when you left. And I don't blame you for standing up for yourself. It was time. My guess is Hudson will apologize tomorrow. If he doesn't, you're going to have to talk to Cap. But my money is on Cap. I'll bet this will be sorted by tomorrow. My guess is your reprimand was nothing more than a formality."

"You really think so, Daddy?" Sam sniffled.

"I do," he hugged her. "But Sam, this has gone on for months. You could've talked to me."

"I know," she smiled. "But I also know that it would've taken all your willpower not to have a little side conversation with Cap or Hudson. And I really wanted to handle it myself."

Gibbs laughed, "Well. Maybe so. But you don't have to go through all this alone, Sam. Tony and I have navigated some pretty difficult stuff over the years. We won't think any less of you for getting advice. In fact, we both got advice from anyone we could and still do."

Sam looked surprised. "I've been so busy trying to prove myself to you guys that I've made things harder than they had to be."

"Don't need to prove yourself, Sam. You're talented and smart. Always have been. You belong at NCIS just as much as any other agent. Don't let one man shake you like this."

She leaned against Gibbs, "Thanks, Daddy. You always know exactly what to say to make things better."

Gibbs smiled and kissed her head. "What are fathers for?"

The next morning Sam walked into work unsure of the reception she would get. But the bullpen seemed to be operating normally. Cap wasn't at his desk but Hudson and Neilson were already working when she arrived. "Morning guys," she said.

Neilson smiled as he usually did, "Morning, Sam. How was your night?"  
She shrugged, "Ok. We finished the season of our show. Did you catch it?"  
Neilson got excited and they chatted about the finale for a few moments before Hudson smiled at Sam and asked what show they were talking about. Sam tried to hide her surprise as she answered him. She wanted to ask him about the paperwork but Cap came around the corner just then.

"Got a possible hostage situation. Grab your gear and let's get out there."

Sam's heart skipped a beat. Being the second level team, they didn't get as many calls as she had seen her father and husband get growing up. And field work beat paperwork any day of the week.

When they arrived, it was clear they were going to have to split up. "Sam, back door. Stay there. Don't move position for any reason," Cap ordered.

Sam was disappointed. It was a throwaway position. It was clear that all the action was happening in the front of the building where Cap, Hudson and Neilson would be spread out at different entrances.

"But Cap," she began to argue.

"Go!" he ordered.  
She made her way around back and took up position guarding the door. Behind the building was a large field and then highway. It would be suicide mission for anyone to try to escape that way. There was nowhere for them to take cover from fire. Sam sighed. Inside she could hear shouting and even gunfire. She wondered if her team needed her. Just because she was a Probie, did she really have to stand in the back?

She decided to check out what was going on from a side entrance. As she rounded to the side door, Cap burst out and looked shocked. "What are you doing over here? If he didn't come this way he went out back! Run!"

Sam ran and her heart fell as she saw a perp running wildly across the field. If he made it to the highway with a gun, innocent people could be taken hostage.

Cap yelled at the man to stop, but there was no clear shot with cars crossing the highway beyond the perp. Sam ran. She ran faster than she had ever run before and at the last possible minute she dove for the man's legs and tripped him. They struggled for a moment before Cap and Hudson caught up, guns aimed their direction. For a moment it looked as if the man would overpower Sam, but she finally got clear and they were able to cuff the man.

Sam had never seen Cap so furious. "What the hell were you thinking?" he screamed at her. She winced. She hated it when people yelled. "You get yourself back to the car and stay in there while we process the scene. I don't want to see you, I don't want to hear you, I don't even want to THINK about you until we get back to headquarters. Is that understood? Is THAT an order you can follow?" he screamed.

She nodded, too afraid to speak. She was shaking. What had she done? She had directly disobeyed an order. Because of her, a criminal almost went free. Because of her, someone had almost gotten hurt. She would never forgive herself. She took in a shuddery breath when she realized that Hudson was still standing behind her. Cap had stormed ahead with the perp.

"So you're not perfect," Hudson said.

Sam could barely hold back her tears. "Hudson, I just can't do this today," she began.

"Welcome to the club, Sam," Hudson smiled kindly. Sam looked at him in shock. "You made a mistake. It was a bad one. But we've all done it. Cap will remember that when he calms down. You'll learn from it and you'll move on. It's gonna be ok."

Sam blinked, "Why are you being nice to me?"

Hudson shook his head, "Maybe I haven't given you a fair chance Sam. Thought you were Little Miss Perfect. Thought you could do no wrong. But today you joined the club. You're an agent like the rest of us. We've all gotten our butts chewed by our team leader, and a few of us by Vance. I'm guessing Vance will have something to say about this. It's ok, though. It gives you agent cred. Your husband? He's got agent cred coming out his ears. He's fearless. And of course, there's your dad. Guy has more guts than anyone else I know. You're one of the team, now."

Sam's eyes filled as she said, "I don't like being on the outs with Cap. I've never heard him yell."

"It doesn't happen very often," Hudson agreed. "But you scared him, Sam. He thinks of you as family. Told me so himself. He'll calm down. He's a good guy." Then Hudson took a deep breath. "Look. I've been a jerk to you. And I'm sorry. You were right last night. You've proven yourself. And you haven't done anything to deserve how I treated you. You think we can start over?"

Sam smiled in spite of the situation. "I'd like that very much, Hudson. Thanks."

He put an arm around her and squeezed. "Good. Now hurry up and get in the car and do not even think about moving. Don't push Cap on this. I'll try to talk him down."

Sam nodded and ran to get in the car. She had a couple of hours to think while the team processed the crime scene, but she didn't dare move a muscle. She did dare to call her husband, though.

"DiNozzo," he answered out of habit.

"You have a minute?" she asked, knowing he'd been called out today, too.

"For you? Always," he said in the way she loved.

"I-I messed up," she barely held back tears. Tony knew her well enough to know how upset she was.

"Tell me all about it," he said, as if he had all the time in the world. In reality, Gibbs was giving him the stink eye for being on the phone at a crime scene. Tony just smiled and turned his back to Gibbs. Gibbs rolled his eyes, knowing that Tony was baiting him.

"I disobeyed a direct order and almost lost the perp," she said. "He almost got to the highway with a gun. Because I wasn't where I was supposed to be, I had to fight him and I almost lost. Cap couldn't get a clear shot because we were fighting. When he finally apprehended him, he sent me to the car and told me not to move or talk until we get back."

These proclamations were met with silence. "Say something, Tony."

"I'm not gonna lie," he said calmly, "It's bad, Sam. But I've been there. We all have. I've been in deep with Gibbs more times than I care to admit. Probably getting in deep right now," he waved at Gibbs again. "Own up to your mistake. Don't reason it away. Keep your head down. Accept whatever sanction Cap hands you. Hopefully he'll handle it on his own instead of sending it to internal affairs. If they get ahold of it, you'll probably have to repeat FLETC. But Cap seems to be the kind to protect his people. And he'll probably do that like Gibbs does. By handing out some horrible penalty like cleaning the evidence garage or working every Saturday for a month. If he does that, be thankful. He's protecting you."

"I can do that," Sam sniffed. "I'm just so…ashamed. I really screwed up, Tony."  
"Yeah, you did," Tony agreed. "But you're human, Sam. My money says Cap will forgive you eventually. I love you Baby. It's gonna be ok."

"I love you too. Thanks, Tony. I'll see you tonight," she sniffed.

Teasing entered his voice, "After a hard day, maybe I can treat you to a DiNozzo special." Then she heard her father in Tony's ear, "If you walked away from a crime scene to flirt, DiNozzo, I'm gonna stick my boot so far up your…"  
"Gotta go, Sam," he chirped and Sammy couldn't help but giggle.

She texted her Dad, "Don't kill Tony, Daddy. I was really upset. I really needed to talk to him. Tony can explain."

Her phone didn't beep for a while. She assumed Tony was telling her Dad about her big screw up. "That's the kind of mistake you only make once, Sam. Don't get to disobey orders twice. But that's what it was: a mistake. Learn from it and move on. Love ya. Always will."

Sam smiled at the simple message. So like her father. The gentle words comforted her and she clicked her screen off. Better if Cap didn't see her texting while she was waiting.

Cap and the men arrived back at the car shortly after. It was a quiet ride back to NCIS. Sam didn't dare make a peep and Cap kept the talk strictly to business. They stopped at a gas station and everyone got out to get snacks. Sam didn't dare move but Cap leaned in. "Do you need to use the restroom?" She nodded. She did. Very badly. He crooked his head, "Go."

Sam slid out quickly. It wasn't like Cap to be so short. Not like him at all. She knew she had tested the limits of his patience today. But at least he was being civil. When she returned to the car he silently held a bottle of water and a bag of her favorite pretzels out to her. She looked up at him in surprise. "Don't want you dying of starvation before I get a chance to kill you myself," he said dryly. Sam didn't say a word, just bit her bottom lip and nodded in thanks.

When they arrived at NCIS, Cap turned to Sam. "Go to interrogation #2 and wait for me. Do not, for any reason, leave that room. Is that understood?"

She nodded, remembering that Cap had told her not to say a word. The men went to the bullpen and Sam took a left and went to wait for Cap. She had to admit, after spending hours in the car, she was getting close to her breaking point.

Hudson looked at Cap for a moment. "Don't you think you're being kind of hard on the kid?"

Cap stared at him, "Really? Now you're her defender? She could have gotten herself killed today, Hudson."

"I know that, Cap. But the kid knows she messed up. She waited by herself for hours today in that car. How long you gonna make her sweat it out in there? Cause we both know you're not reporting her to internal affairs," Hudson said.

"How do you know what I'm going to do, Hudson?" Cap said sharply. "Disobeying a direct order is the number one rule here at NCIS. That's day one at FLETC. I can handle a lot of things, but I can't handle an agent who won't listen."

"How do I know you won't feed her to the wolves, Cap? Because you protect us. It's just what you do. You protected Neilson when he screwed up all those reports. You protected me when I was a rookie and I disobeyed a direct order. And you told me it was because someone did the same for you. We both know that after you calm down, you're gonna do what it takes to keep Sam on the team. She's good. We need her here. So don't make her sweat it out much longer, ok boss?" Hudson blushed.

Cap smirked. "Have you joined the Sammie Gibbs fan club, Hudson?"

Hudson rolled his eyes. "Come on, Boss. You know I don't do feelings well. Don't make me say it."

Cam laughed. "Ok, Hudson. I won't kill Sam. I'll take what you've said into consideration."

An hour later, Cap felt in control of his emotions enough to deal with Sam. He walked into the room, pulled a chair out across from Sam, and sat down. Then he leveled her with his sternest gaze and said, "Explain yourself."

Cap expected Sam to start stumbling all over herself with apologies, but years of being raised by Gibbs had trained her to be more professional than that. Instead, she took Tony's advice and started by taking responsibility.

"I was an idiot," she began. "I felt like you stuck me at the back door because I was a probie. It seemed highly unlikely that anyone would make a run across that field, so I walked around to check the side door, against your orders. It was overconfident and arrogant. I understand that my arrogance almost allowed a perp to escape and that the ramifications of him getting to the highway with a gun could've been catastrophic."

Cap nodded, "To the point, but accurate as hell." He put his hands behind his head. "Wrong on one point, though. Didn't stick you at the back door because you're a probie. Stuck you there because you're fast. I had a feeling they were going to make a run for the highway, and I knew you could handle them because you're a good agent. That is why you were stationed there. Not that I should have to explain my decisions to my subordinates," he said pointedly.

"No sir, you shouldn't," she agreed.

"You know why I'm so angry, Sam?" he said quietly.

"I disobeyed a direct order," she said.

"Yes. But not just that," he prompted.

"I almost let him get away?" Sam asked.

"Nope," Cap looked angry. "We would've caught up to him eventually. Sam. Because you had to engage in a footrace with him and wrestle him to the ground, you put yourself in danger, Sam. Do you not realize how close he came to getting his gun on you?"

Sam shrugged uncomfortably, "Didn't really have time to think about it."

Cap slammed his fist on the table and Sammie jumped. He reminded himself to calm down. "Think about it, Sam," he said quietly. "Your life is worth more than any solve on a case. You don't put it in jeopardy. Understood?"

"Understood, Cap. My father hates apologies, but for what it's worth, I am sorry. I never meant to disrespect you as our leader. I'm embarrassed by my behavior, and I can assure you that it won't happen again," she looked at him earnestly.

Cam stared at her very seriously, "It can't happen again, Sam. This isn't a mistake I'll allow twice. Everyone is going to mess up. That I can accept. But disobeying a direct order? Doesn't happen again on my team."

"Got it," she nodded.

"Thank you for your apology. So here's the deal, Sam. You're a good agent. I don't want to lose you. If I report this, I've lost you. You'll be back in FLETC and you won't be a field agent again for a long time. We can report it if you want to go official, or if you'd rather, I can issue my own sanctions and we deal with it in house. If you go my route, there will be no going back. Your choice," he said.

"Your way," she said. "I want to stay on your team and I trust you Cap."

Knowing Sammie's history, he was honored by her blind trust in him.

"Fine. Desk duty for a month," he began.

Sam's eyes widened at that news. She hated desk duty. Plus, it would leave her team a man down for a month. But remembering Tony's words, she clamped her mouth shut. She wouldn't complain.

"That's not all. I need to know that you understand how to be where you're supposed to be. So during that month, you'll stay on a leash. You'll go everywhere I go, and you'll never be more than a few feet away. You don't go to the bathroom without permission. You don't go to lunch. You are in my sight, every minute you're on duty. Understood?" Cap said. "Then maybe you'll remember next time to be exactly where I tell you to be, instead of wandering off."

Sam shifted in her chair, her face a deep shade of red, "You…you're going to make me wear a dog leash around NCIS?" She didn't want to argue but the humiliation of it was overwhelming.

Cap tilted his head and looked at her kindly. "No, Sam. That would be humiliating. I would never purposefully humiliate one of my agents. I meant figuratively. You're glued to my side until I can trust you again."

Sam took a deep breath. That she could handle. It would be hard, but she could do it. "Oh. Right. Figurative. Ok. Thanks for giving me another chance, Cap. I love working for you, and I appreciate you not kicking me off the team. I know that you have every right to."

Cap was mildly impressed. He had half expected her to argue against the restrictions, but instead she was thanking him for watching her six. "You're welcome. After the month is over, we'll move on. You'll learn from the mistake and you won't repeat it, deal?"

Sam smiled, "Deal." Then she shifted uncomfortably and said, "Cap, um. Are we…ok?"

Cap had never had a female subordinate before and he wondered if this was a girl thing. Most men would've been glad they weren't fired and left it at that. Cap smiled, "Yeah Sam. I still want to wring your neck for the stunt you pulled today, but we're ok."

She let out a breath she didn't even know she'd been holding and said, "I can live with that. As long as I know you don't hate me, I can live with that."

Sam went home to lick her wounds and fell into the arms of her husband. Although Tony also wanted to launch into a lecture, he realized that wasn't what she needed from him. She needed a safe place to land. It wasn't until much later that evening that she found herself on the stairs of the basement, recounting the whole ordeal for her father.

"How did Cap handle it?" Gibbs kept sanding, trying not to yell at her himself.

"He was angrier than I've ever seen him. He sent me to the car while they processed the scene. I think I was in there for two hours," Sam said.

"Good for him," Gibbs said. "I would've done the same thing."

"Really?" Sam asked.

"Well, yeah. Don't want to say or do something I'd regret. Best to give myself space to calm down. Cause if you'd have been out there with me, I'd woulda had a hard time not sending you right over my knee for breaking rule #1." Gibbs grumbled.

"Daddy I'm too old for that! Besides, you can't do that to a federal agent!" Sam laughed.

"Well, maybe not. But I would've wanted to," he smiled.

"So how did things end up?" he was curious.

"Cap calmed down. He even bought me pretzels on the way home. I'm on desk duty for a month and he put me on a leash." Sam went on to describe Cap's plan for her and Gibbs was grinning from ear to ear. "It's not funny, Dad," she whined.

"No. It's not. But it is creative. Wish I'd have thought of it myself when Tony was younger. Course, having Tony for a shadow for a month may have killed me too. No way he would have behaved himself that long," Gibbs always smiled when he talked about Tony. "Look, Sam. The point is to make it memorable and miserable enough that you'll never even think about doing it again. If you ask me, you got off easier than any of my team did when they made the same mistake. And no way I would've bought you pretzels."

Sam stared at him hard for a few seconds and said, "You totally would've bought me pretzels. I see the way you take care of McGee, Ziva and Tony. You're nice when nobody is looking."

"Well," he sighed, "Don't tell anybody."

Sam looked unsure for a moment and said, "I'm sorry I embarrassed you today. The Gibbs' name around there is gold and today I just-"

"Don't you even finish that sentence, Sam. I'm proud of you. All the time. No questions asked. Is that clear?" he asked. She nodded. "And don't put pressure on yourself because of your last name. You think I didn't make a lot of mistakes? I did. Still do. Learn from it and move on, Sam. And don't do it again." He winked at her.

"Got it. Wanted to make sure that we were ok," she said.

He moved to hug her, "Nothing that happens at NCIS will ever make us not ok. You're my daughter. Not my agent. I love you. Always. Got that?"

She smiled her first real smile since they'd started talking, "Got it, dad. I love you, too."

Sam's first day shadowing Cap was trying…for both of them. She kept forgetting her invisible leash. She would move to get up and hear Cap clear his throat, then sit back down. Cap quickly realized that his fantastic punishment was going to be as much work for him as it was for Sam. Hudson and Neilson kept looking at them curiously, but seemed none the wiser about what was going on. They knew she was on desk duty, but no more.

Finally, Sam had to give. Her face was a dull shade of red when she said, "Permission to use the restroom, Cap?"

Cap winked at her and nodded. Hudson looked at him in disbelief. "What are you doing to Sam, Cap?"

"She has to stay in my line of vision for the next month. She doesn't make a move without asking me first. It's a lesson in following orders so that there isn't a next time," he said.

Hudson shifted in his seat nervously before saying, "While I admire the creativity, Boss, isn't permission to use the restroom taking it a little far? You saw her face. You're embarrassing her."

Cap frowned for a moment. He didn't want to humiliate Sam. But he did want to leave an impression. He saw that Hudson was right when Sam returned and her shoulders slumped forward. He had embarrassed her.

"Sam. With me," he said. Sam rose and followed him dutifully to the empty break room.

"I went too far. You don't need to ask to use the restroom. I hope you understand that I'm not trying to break you or embarrass you. I am trying to train you," he looked at her seriously.

She was relieved, "Thanks, Cap. I appreciate it."

Lunch was a different affair as well. Tony swung by to grab Sam as usual.

"I…I'm eating at my desk today," she mumbled.

"Oh yeah," Tony glanced at Cap, wondering if he would give in. Cap gave no indication of doing so. "Want me to bring you something back?"

Sam smiled her thanks, "That's ok. I packed a lunch." She held up her lunch bag. Tony nodded, a little lost without his usual lunch date.

"Ok. I'll see you tonight then," he gave a friendly wave to the team before heading out. Sam got back to work and ate at her desk, thinking that it was going to be a very long month indeed. Cap almost always ate at his desk, so she doubted she would be getting out much.

Cap got up suddenly and Sam moved to follow but he waved her down. "Stay where you are. I'll be back in a few."

Cap found Gibbs in the bullpen upstairs, and as he had guessed, Gibbs was eating at his desk while his team was out to lunch.

"How did you do it?" he asked in frustration.

"Scuse me?" Gibbs didn't know what he was talking about.

"How did you stick to your guns when Sam was young? She stares at you like a poster child for world hunger or something. It's like kicking a puppy," Cap stared at Gibbs as if it were his fault.

"Well," he looked down at his desk and smirked. "It wasn't easy. But I reminded myself that it was for her own good."

Cap ran his hand through his hair. "Yeah," he said. "You think I'm being too hard on her?"

Gibbs shook his head. "No. I wouldn't have wanted you to let her off easy, Cap. Cause if you do, she might think it's ok to do it again. You're saving her career right now. And I appreciate it. I appreciate you taking the time to deal with her. These kids think we're being hard-noses when we come down on them. They don't realize it's just as much work for us."

Cap laughed, "That's the truth of it."

"Sam giving you a hard time about this?" Gibbs frowned as if he would have a word with her.

Cap shook his head, "No. That's what makes it so difficult. She's taking it like a champ."

Gibbs smiled, "She usually does. Only got mad at me once when she was growing up. I lost my temper when she was late for curfew and she was right. I was too hard on her. Every other time, though, she accepted any correction. Never complained or pouted. I used to think how lucky I was that she was so mature about it. But then I realized that you're right. It does make it more difficult to stick to your guns. If she would just act like a brat you could be mad at her."

Cap tapped the desk. "All right. I'll stick to it. If you think I'm doing the right thing, I feel better. Hudson is like a mother hen, watching over her and treating me like a tyrant. Tony is giving me side eye, too. Don't want to make an enemy out of DiNozzo."

Gibbs shrugged his shoulders. "You're in a tight spot, Cap. We all know that. You lead your team how you see fit without worrying about what DiNozzo and I think. You've earned that right. And hey, don't blame Tony. He loves Sam. Worships the ground she walks on. Can't blame a guy for being a little protective of his wife, can you? It's not personal."

Cap agreed, "Guess that makes sense. Ok. Back to kicking the puppy, I guess."

Gibbs clapped him on the back. "Stay strong, Cap."

The next week, Sam was a loyal shadow to Cap. To her credit, she was a pleasant shadow. If anyone was going to be glued to Cap's side, he realized that Sam would be his pick. He even treated her to lunch a few times just to get her out of the office. Sam knew what he was doing but she was thankful for his kindness. Cap's family joined them one day for lunch and Sam fit right in.

In having her constantly around, Cap fully realized what a quick study she was. After she'd heard a conversation, she would give him her take as they walked back to the bullpen. Often her insights were useful. Because they were so used to being together, Cap didn't even think it strange when Sam followed him right into Vance's office one day.

"Cap, I called you in to discuss…" he trailed off when he noticed Sam's presence.

"Sam," he nodded.

"Director," she greeted him back.

"Funny," he said dryly. "I don't remember inviting you here, Sam." Sam looked at Cap, unsure of what to say. "Thing is, I seem to remember seeing you and Cap, side by side, a lot for the last few weeks. Do I want to know what this is about, Cap?"

"No sir you don't," Cap answered.

"Fair enough," Vance looked from Sam to Cap and back to Sam again. He noticed Sam's slight blush and decided to change subjects.

"I want your team on security this afternoon at this hotel." Vance continued to explain the plan, pointing where he wanted each agent stationed.

"Actually, Sam won't be going with us, Director," Cap said softly.

Sam's heart picked up speed. If Vance started asking questions, he would have to report her to internal affairs. But he just stared at them for a moment before saying, "Borrow one of Gibbs' people, then." They talked for a few minutes and then Cap left her at her desk while they put the op together.

"Boss," Hudson said as the elevator door closed on them. "It's like Tiny Tim looking in the window at Christmas. You're going to do this a whole month?"

"How long did you clean out evidence lockers when you disobeyed orders, Hudson?" Cap asked.

"Long time, Boss," he answered. "I get it. I miss having her with us, though."

"Me too, Hudson. Me too," Cap agreed.

Vance couldn't help but wander by Sam's desk after he knew her team had been sent out. She was typing away on a file when he arrived. "Director!" she stood up and licked her lips nervously.

"At ease, Sam," he said. "Never known you to be nervous around me before." He cocked an eyebrow, "Course I don't know that you've ever had to hide anything from me before, and something tells me that you and Cap have something quite interesting going on."

Sam licked her lips again, unsure what to say. Vance rescued her. "It's ok, Sam. You don't have to say anything. I know how these things work. In fact, sometimes I prefer for team leaders to handle things in house. It's more effective. The less I know, the better."

Sam breathed out in relief. "Thank you, sir. I…I really screwed up. But Cap had mercy on me."

"I ever tell you about my first year as an agent, Sam?" Vance said. His Kayla and Sam grew up together and Vance felt a fatherly instinct to make her feel better. For the next hour, Vance regaled Sam with tales of the mistakes he made as a probie. Sam pulled her lunch out and split it with him while they talked. Sam smiled as they finished lunch, and then she hugged him, "Thanks, Director, for…everything. I-I…it just means a lot."

"You're welcome, Sammie. Learn from your mistakes and one day you'll be sitting where I am, consoling a probie when they screw it up big time."

Sam laughed. "I'll do better next time. That's a promise."

A few days later, Cap had mercy on Sam and took her with him to run errands. She needed out of the office. He handed her her gun. At her questioning look he said, "It's protocol when you leave the building."

They'd just picked up the file in question when Cap got a call. Little girl on base had called 911 and said her Daddy was going to kill her. Cap glanced at Sam. "Hudson and Neilson are meeting us there. Can you handle this?"

Sam nodded, "Just hurry, Cap. We don't want to be too late."

Cap and Sam arrived and Cap yelled the warning. He kicked in the door as Hudson and Neilson pulled in behind them. The four followed Cap in the house. They began to clear the house when they heard Sam scream, "No!"

They ran in the living room to find a little girl lying in a pool of blood, and her father beside her. From the looks of things, he had killed himself after beating the child to death.

Sam knelt beside the girl, "No!" She screamed. She looked at Cap with tears rolling down her face. "No!" She was shaking. "Why didn't she hide behind the couch? That's where she should have gone. They wouldn't have found her there! Why didn't she hide?"

Cap moved to hold Sam after a double-checking that both victims were deceased. "Call Gibbs," he ordered Hudson. Hudson left the room so Gibbs could hear him over Sam's screams.

Gibbs and DiNozzo arrived as quickly as they could, and Sam didn't even realize she'd been transferred to her Father's arms instead of Cap's. After a few minutes, still shaking, she began to speak. The others were processing the scene, but they could still hear her. Sam didn't even realize they were there. "I-I didn't remember until I walked in here. I didn't remember. And then it all came flooding back. He tried to sell me."

Gibbs looked at Tony in confusion. What was she talking about? Sam looked straight at Gibbs. He was the one who had rescued her, after all. "My father. He tried to sell me that day. When the bad man came. He didn't have the money, so he offered me. And the man agreed." She took a shaky breath. "Something in me told me that the bad man was even worse than my Daddy. I was behind the couch, but they started looking for me. Started talking about how much they could make off me. Said they could sell me over and over again. I knew they'd find me. But our couch was old and there was a hole in it. So I wiggled inside the hole. I could barely breathe cause the stuffing was all around me. But I knew, even then, that death would be better than being sold to that man. So I stayed. I was so afraid to leave. I…I remember how close they came to finding me. He touched my shoe." Her tears started again. "But I wiggled my foot out of it and he thought it was just a stray shoe."

Gibbs stroked her hair and spoke softly. "You were a survivor, Sam. You were smart and it paid off."

The other men in the room were shell-shocked. None of them could imagine growing up as Sam had grown up. What happened next would've broken the heart of even the toughest man. As it was, not a dry eye was left when she said, "Why didn't he love me, Daddy? Who would sell their little girl? How much was I worth to him?"

Gibbs didn't even try to answer as he held her and let her cry. Finally, DiNozzo said, "Come on, Baby. Let's get you home." He carried her away from the crime scene and she let him. She felt bruised, inside and out.

Sam took the next day off, but when she returned to work she did so awkwardly. "Um. Hey guys," she greeted them. "I'm so sorry about the other day. I really fell apart on you there. Let you guys down. I won't make a habit of that."

Cap put his hand on her shoulder. "Sam. Stop. You didn't let us down. You had a trauma in your life and it's personal for you. I was wrong to take you in there. From now on, you recuse yourself from cases with abuse, you hear? We all recuse on personal things, and for you, this is very personal."

Sam nodded. "Got it."

Hudson moved to give her a hug. "Nothing to be embarrassed about, Sam. Seeing a kid's life end early stays with us all."

Even Nielson hugged her in his shy way. "If you ever need to talk, Sam, we're here."

Sam looked at all of them with gratitude and nodded. They would back her up. At that moment Sam knew they weren't just a team. They were family.

Two days before Sam's desk duty ended, Gibbs came storming into Cap's bullpen. "Cap. We've got a situation in Rock Creek Park. I can read you in on the way, but I need your team to back us up."

Cap, Hudson and Neilson all moved to grab their gear while Sam looked at them longingly. Gibbs stood in indecision for a moment before bobbing his head back and forth in indecision. He growled as if he didn't like what he was about to do. "Cap. We really need all hands on deck. I know your situation but we could use her."

Cap narrowed his eyes for a moment at Sam's hopeful look and then rolled his eyes, "Come on," he said drily.

Sam jumped up quickly, grinning from ear to ear. "On your six, Cap!"

The agents spread out to form a net around the park. Sam was placed in close proximity to her team leader, with Gibb's team on the other side of the park. Sam was patrolling her area, looking for any suspects, when she heard a scuffle on Cap's side. When she gained a visual of him, her heart stopped for a moment.

Cap was in trouble, and seeing him in harm's way affected her deeply. His family's images sped through her mind as she thought that his kids needed him. The suspect was huge and hopped up on drugs, making him impossible to control. He'd gotten the jump on Cap and Cap's gun had been knocked loose. But the suspect had a large knife and was dangerously close to stabbing Cap. Sam couldn't get a clear shot. She yelled into her earwig for backup before jumping into the fray with Cap. The man easily threw her down, but it gave Cap a chance to regroup. He launched himself at the man again and he was knocked backwards. His head hit the concrete, leaving him momentarily stunned. He saw the man blacken Sam's eyes and her head jerk back, but she wouldn't give up. He threw her hard against the pavement as he had for Cap. As the man lifted his knife for a final throw into Cap's abdomen, he heard a gun go off and the man froze. In his addled state, he realized that Sam had made the shot from her place next to him on the ground. As the suspect fell towards her with the knife, she grunted and rolled towards Cap. The suspect fell hard on the other side of Sam. She couldn't move to check a pulse.

They heard yells as the other agents came over the hill. They could see the fray across the open park, but couldn't get a clear shot. She sighed in relief. She could hear her Dad and Tony. They would take care of things. She could sleep.

"No, Sam. Stay with me," Cap could see her eyes close.

"Tired, Cap," she whispered.

"I know. I'm sure you've got a concussion. Don't give in, Sam. I need you to stay awake. And that's an order," he said gruffly.

Sam's eyes flew open and Cap couldn't help but smile. "So, my plan worked. Sammie Gibbs learned to follow orders."

She tried to laugh and then groaned, "Hurts."

"I'm guessing you have a couple broken ribs, kiddo. He was rough with you. But boy am I glad I brought you along," Cap said.

"Does this mean I can be off my invisible leash?" Sam whispered.

Cap laughed, "I think so, Sam. I think you're ready."

"Thank God," she said.

"Hey, was it so bad spending time with me?" he teased.

Sam shook her head. "Not what I meant."

Gibbs and Tony ran up. "Ambulance is on the way."

Sam moved to get up, but Tony gently pushed her back down, "No, no, no, Sam. Lie still. Wait for the paramedics."

Gibbs hovered over her. "You just put a lot more gray in my hair, kid."

"Was already pretty gray," she whispered.

"Watch it," he grumbled, relieved that she was coherent enough to tease him.

"It's a good thing you shot him, Sam, or I would've after I saw him throw you like that," Tony groused.

"My first kill," Sam sounded conflicted.

"You did exactly what you were trained to do," Cap assured her. "And I'm very thankful that you didn't hesitate. So is my gut."

Gibbs rubbed her hair, "We'll get you patched up in a sec, Sam."

She closed her eyes and mumbled, "Is Cap ok?"

Cap chuckled, "I'm fine. Clearly, I don't rank as high on the scale as you do, Sam."

Gibbs and DiNozzo had the good grace took look embarrassed. "Sorry, Cap. You ok?"  
Cap groaned, "Just the usual post-fight wounds. Concussion, ribs, nose. The usual. Thanks to Sam it's no worse than that."

Gibbs clapped him gently on the shoulder. "Medics are here, Cap. We'll get you fixed up. Want me to call Anna and have her meet you there?"

Cap was doing his best to stay awake but he gave Gibbs a thumbs up. "Thanks. Tell her I'm fine."

"I'm with Sam," Tony said as he hopped in the ambulance with her.

Gibbs nodded, "I'll leave the scene with these guys and catch up. Keep me posted."

Cap and Sam were both admitted overnight with various injuries. Both were sporting concussions and broken ribs. Cap added a broken nose and Sam had a sprained wrist. Tony refused to leave Sam's side and stayed overnight with her. Gibbs was reluctant to leave but knew Tony had things under control.

Anna came and thanked Sam for saving Cap's life. She spoke with the kids for a moment but Anna could see that Sam was fading fast. They left and the doctor walked in. "Things look good, Sam. I think we can have you out of here in a couple days. Normally I'd let you go home tomorrow, but I want to be extra sure that the baby stays stable since you had such a trauma."

Tony's head snapped up and Sam jerked up and then winced, "Baby? What? I think you've mistaken things? I…I'm not pregnant."

The doctor frowned and checked the chart. "I'm sorry to tell you like this. I thought you already knew. But you are most certainly pregnant, Samantha. By my estimate you're nearly three months along."

Sam and Tony sat in stunned silence for a moment.

"A baby?" Sam mumbled, getting accustomed to the thought.

"A baby?" Tony's eyes were misting over.

"A baby," the doctor confirmed.

"And, it's…it's ok?" Sam asked, rubbing her hair protectively over her stomach.

"Fortunately, you didn't take any hits to the abdomen. It looks like baby stayed happy and protected in your womb despite the struggle. But I would recommend staying away from these situations for the next six months."

Sam digested this information and nodded. Tony shook the doctor's hand and thanked him before he left. Then Tony turned to Sam. "Baby, I know this isn't what we planned, but I couldn't be happier."

"A baby!" her eyes were wide with wonder. "I never even thought about it, really. I'm not even sure how this happened! I took the pill…."

"Are you ok?" Tony asked.

"Yeah," she said. "I am. I'm sure Cap will work with me and still let me process crime scenes where's there no threat."

"We'll make it work, Sam. And I'll have what I always wanted…a family," Tony's eyes did spill over then.

Two days later, Gibbs brought dinner over to the DiNozzos' house. Sam was set up on the couch and Tony was waiting on her hand and foot. After dinner Sam gave Gibbs a gift bag.

"What's this?" he arched his brow.

"Open it and see," she said with a smile.

Gibbs shrugged and pulled a navy blue t-shirt out of the bag. He held it up and it saw that it said, "Grandpa Gibbs" on it. He stared at it for a moment.

"I thought I was just nauseas from the concussion, Daddy. Turns out there was another reason," she smiled.

"You're pregnant?" he immediately felt concern for everything her body had been through.

She correctly read his expression and said, "Everything is fine, Daddy. The doctor told me to stay in bed all week and go back for a check-up, but he said everything looks great. That's why Tony took off to take care of me."

As the idea sunk in for Gibbs, he sat back in his chair. He was going to have a grand-child! A mixture of Sam and Tony. He shook his head and smiled at the idea of that. This kid was gonna be a little dynamo, he was sure. "A grandpa," he smiled. Then he nodded. Rarely did he show emotion, but his eyes misted over as he shook Tony's hand and then pulled him into a hug. "Congratulations," he patted Tony on the back.

He leaned over to gently hug Sam. "Congratulations, Sammie. You're going to make a wonderful mother."

"I learned it from you, Gibbs. How to be a good parent. How to love. You're the one who taught me…both of us, really…what family was."

Gibbs did swallow hard and tear up then. He shook his head and then laughed. "We're having a baby! You know, you guys both have demanding jobs. You're gonna need help."

"We haven't even gotten that far, Daddy," Sam began.

Gibbs held up his hand, "I'm nearing the end of field work anyway. They force you out at a certain age, you know. Been thinking about taking some more time off. Maybe moving into a consulting position. Tony's been my SIC for years. He's ready to take my spot. I'm just saying, I'd be happy to cut my hours back and help with the little guy."

"How do you know it's a boy?" Sam asked with a laugh.

"Gut feeling," Gibbs shrugged. "Doesn't matter either way. I wanna be there. I wanna help."

Tony and Sam were both choked up at the offer. Truly, they had no answers. Sam didn't want to give up her career but life as an agent with an infant could be demanding. With her father around to help, it would be possible.

"We want you there, too, Gibbs. As much as possible, we want you there for this kid. He'll be lucky to have you, Boss. You've always been more of a father than a Boss to me," Tony said.

Sam smiled, "Thanks, Daddy. She will love her Grandpa Gibbs." The guys laughed at her and Sam rubbed her stomach again, still finding it hard to believe that a little life was growing inside her. This twist of events wasn't what she planned, but it would work out. And looking at the glowing faces around her, she knew that this baby would have all the love she had dreamed of having as a child, maybe even more.


End file.
